"The Fighting Lady," directed by William Wyler, provides a portrait of
life on a World War II aircraft carrier, a vessel that is "enormous,
wonderful, and strange to us." After profiling the various activities
of the soldiers' day and following the ship's voyage through the Panama
Canal, the film takes the audience through a litany of actual combat
engagements. The Fighting Lady participates in a strike on the Marcus
Islands, then defends itself against a surprise nighttime raid by
Japanese fighters. Some of the photography comes from cameras set up in
the cockpits of American planes, showing first hand what it's like to be
diving through enemy anti-aircraft fire. The film culminates in a major
confrontation with the Imperial Japanese Battle Fleet. In this massive
operation, later dubbed the "Marianas Turkey Shoot," American pilots
downed almost four hundred Japanese Zeros, while incurring only
twenty-two losses themselves.

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